Two of the hottest teams in the country meet in the Rose Bowl to set up a possible springboard and a top five ranking heading into next season.

USC has won eight straight games since starting the season 1–3. Their comeback can be attributed to the rise of redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Darnold, who has thrown for 2,633 yards and 26 touchdowns this season.

Penn State has also been on a roll and comes into the game having won nine in a row, including a comeback victory over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Nittany Lions have relied on being a second-half team and have outscored their opponents by 111 points in the fourth quarter alone.

This will be the 10th meeting between the schools, with USC leading the all-time series five games to four. USC has won two consecutive games in the series, including the last meeting, a 38–24 win in the 2009 Rose Bowl.